From Cannabis to Carrots, Farm Dreams vs Farm Reality, and More | The Modern Grower #012
The week of June 2, 2025 on Modern Grower YouTube and podcasts.
At a Glance
From Cannabis to Carrots: Derek from Rosemary's Oasis brings a unique perspective to market gardening through his background in commercial cannabis cultivation in Michigan. His experience with rigorous testing standards, precise growing techniques, and soil health management translates well to vegetable production, though he's learning to navigate different market channels and pricing structures. Derek's approach emphasizes permaculture principles, stacking functions, and eliminating waste while building a diversified farm business around microgreens, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Watch
Farm Dreams vs Farm Reality: While agriculture has better survival rates than many industries (over 50% versus 36% for construction), many small farms still struggle due to unrealistic expectations and inadequate preparation. The low barrier to entry attracts unprepared newcomers who romanticize farm life without understanding the business complexity and physical demands. Success requires treating farming as a business first, preparing for extreme physical requirements, and building systems for sustainability rather than chasing the pastoral dream portrayed on social media. Watch
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Seeds of Wisdom
The Instagram vs. reality contrast in farming is stark: While social media shows beautiful sunrise harvests and baby animals, the reality often includes 16-hour workdays, houses too messy to maintain because of field work, and eating whatever's available because there's no time to cook.
Microgreens offer unique nutritional advantages from unexpected sources: Hemp microgreens contain not just cannabinoids but also high levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, plus significant protein content, making them a powerhouse addition to the microgreen market.
Saving just 5 days per crop cycle can add an entire extra harvest per season: By planting slightly less densely to speed maturity, farmers can squeeze in a fifth crop rotation on beds that would normally only support four cycles, potentially increasing annual revenue more than maximum density planting.
Edible flowers can transform from pollinator plants to profit centers: Native perennials initially planted just to attract beneficial insects can become lucrative crops when chefs discover them - some restaurants eagerly buy flowers like anise hyssop for cocktails and plating.
Adding just one or two more rows per bed can dramatically increase yields: Many small farmers plant only 3 rows of spinach in a 30-inch bed when they could easily fit 5, or use 4 rows for radishes when 7 would maximize productivity without sacrificing quality.
From Cannabis to Carrots: Applying Commercial Growing Skills to Market Gardening
The Cannabis Foundation: Precision Growing Under Pressure
Derek's background in Michigan's medical cannabis industry provides an unusual but valuable foundation for market gardening. Cannabis cultivation in Michigan requires meeting strict testing standards that would challenge any grower: "You can't fail for pesticide tests—they're gonna test for heavy metals, they're gonna test for all kinds of things just in order for the cannabis to pass and for it to be legal to go to market."
This regulatory environment forced cannabis growers to develop sophisticated soil health practices. "If you were to use just a simple fungicide or herbicide, especially glyphosate, you're gonna fail these heavy metal tests," Derek explains. The industry response led to intensive education about organic growing methods, beneficial microorganisms, and soil biology.
The cannabis plant's nature as a dynamic accumulator—similar to sunflowers—means it readily absorbs whatever is in the soil, making clean growing practices essential. This background gives Derek an appreciation for soil health that many vegetable growers develop over years of experience.
Transferable Skills and New Challenges
Several aspects of cannabis cultivation translate directly to vegetable production. Derek highlights propagation skills, crop rotation understanding, and sanitization practices as particularly valuable transfers. "We have a lot of the knowledge as far as propagation goes, cloning. Cloning cannabis is incredibly easy," he notes, adding that the constant need for plants ready for the next growth phase mirrors vegetable succession planning.
However, the transition presents significant challenges. The most obvious is economics—cannabis commands premium prices that vegetables cannot match. More subtle is the market development aspect. Cannabis sales in Michigan initially operated through closed networks of patients and caregivers, quite different from farmers markets and restaurant sales.
Derek has approached this challenge creatively, bringing vegetables to cannabis swap meets to gauge interest and connect with health-conscious consumers who value organic products. "A lot of cannabis growers are really into organic cannabis specifically because they are smoking it and they don't want to use any chemicals," he observes.
A Systems Approach to Farm Diversification
Derek's farm philosophy centers on permaculture principles and function stacking. Rather than viewing each enterprise separately, he designs integrated systems where components serve multiple purposes. For example, sunflowers provide pollinator habitat, wind protection, and potential cut flower income while feeding beneficial insects.
His crop planning reflects this integrated thinking. "I don't wanna see any of that to go to waste," Derek explains. "It could go to compost and that's not waste. It could go to the chickens... but I could utilize it to sustain the farm fiscally."
This approach extends to product development. Sorel, which grows abundantly on their property, serves as both a salad green and source of edible flowers. Strawberry leaves become ingredients for herbal tea blends. Even radishes serve dual purposes—roots for fresh sales and seed pods as specialty items.
Market Channel Strategy for New Farmers
With a five-week-old baby reshaping priorities, Derek is focusing on sales channels that offer flexibility while building his customer base. His multi-channel approach includes:
Farmers Markets: Starting with one local market in Pittsfield Township, with aspirations for the higher-traffic Ann Arbor Farmer's Market as production scales.
Direct Sales: Leveraging his location in a large neighborhood for delivery services and word-of-mouth marketing through platforms like NextDoor.
Online Platforms: Exploring systems like Grown By and Farm Link for a la carte sales that allow customers to shop available inventory weekly.
Value-Added Products: Utilizing Michigan's cottage food laws (up to $25,000 annual revenue) for dried herbs, tea blends, and preserved foods.
Derek's approach reflects practical constraints many beginning farmers face: limited growing space, uncertain production levels, and the need for flexible scheduling around family obligations.
Microgreens as a Primary Revenue Driver
Derek anticipates microgreens will comprise roughly half of his sales, leveraging both his controlled environment experience and access to commercial space. "We have spaces for an environment suitable for that—dehumidifiers, things like that," he notes, describing warehouse space at a second property.
The microgreens focus aligns with his background in precision growing and quality control. Unlike field vegetables subject to weather variability, microgreens offer consistent production cycles and premium pricing. Derek plans to target local cafes and restaurants, starting with a new coffee shop in his neighborhood before expanding to Ann Arbor establishments.
This strategy reflects advice from restaurant industry veterans: start local, prove your reliability, then expand systematically rather than attempting broad market penetration immediately.
Seasonal Planning for Northern Climates
Operating in Michigan's challenging climate requires strategic seasonal planning. Derek's approach emphasizes cold-hardy crops that extend the growing season: lettuce varieties that withstand freezing temperatures, brassicas for winter markets, and quick-maturity crops like radishes and spinach.
For season extension, he's implementing 100 feet of hooped beds with plastic covering for early spring production. The goal is succession planting that maximizes bed utilization: lettuce and cold crops in spring, followed by cherry tomatoes in the same protected space.
Plant sales represent a significant seasonal opportunity. "Our biggest seller at the farmer's market" last year, plant sales provide substantial spring revenue before fading as customers finish their garden installations. Derek plans to expand this enterprise, noting that organically-grown transplants appeal to health-conscious gardeners.
The Reality of Function Stacking
While Derek's integrated approach offers theoretical advantages, practical implementation requires careful balance. When pressed to narrow his focus to three primary enterprises, he identified: market vegetables, dried herbs/edible flowers, and wedding floriculture—each building on existing infrastructure and skills.
The key insight is waste elimination through multiple revenue streams from single crops. Rather than growing separate plants for each purpose, Derek designs plantings that serve multiple functions: flowers that provide both fresh cuts and dried herbs, vegetables that offer both fresh sales and value-added products, perennials that provide habitat benefits and marketable products.
This approach requires more complex planning but potentially higher returns per square foot—essential for small-scale operations competing with larger producers.
Three Action Steps for Beginning Market Gardeners
1. Leverage Your Existing Skills and Networks
Identify transferable skills from previous careers or hobbies that apply to farming. Derek's cannabis experience provided soil health knowledge, propagation skills, and understanding of quality standards. His DJ background offers wedding industry connections for flower sales. Assess your own background for similar crossover opportunities—whether in construction (infrastructure skills), restaurants (chef relationships), or other fields that connect to agriculture.
2. Design Multi-Function Systems from the Start
Plan your farm layout and crop selection to serve multiple purposes rather than single functions. Choose flowers that provide both fresh cuts and dried herbs. Select vegetables that offer both fresh sales and value-added opportunities. Design infrastructure that supports multiple enterprises rather than single-purpose installations. This approach maximizes returns from limited space while providing flexibility as markets evolve.
3. Start Small with Multiple Sales Channels
Rather than committing to one major market channel, test several smaller opportunities simultaneously. Try local farmers markets, direct sales to neighbors, online platforms, and restaurant relationships in small quantities. This approach helps identify which channels work best for your situation while building diverse income streams. As Derek learned, what works varies by location, timing, and personal circumstances—diversification provides resilience while you discover your optimal mix.
Farm Dreams vs. Farm Reality: What Instagram Doesn't Show You
The Deceptive Trap of Low Barrier to Entry
Unlike starting a McDonald's franchise or brewery, anyone can begin farming today. Seeds are cheap, basic equipment is accessible, and local farmers markets provide immediate sales opportunities. This accessibility creates what Diego identifies as "the low barrier to entry trap"—a situation where the ease of starting attracts many people who lack the preparation, capital, or commitment necessary for long-term success.
The problem intensifies when people fall in love with the romanticized vision of farm life: beautiful pastures, charming farmhouses, children playing freely, and abundant harvests. Social media amplifies this illusion by showcasing only the most photogenic moments while omitting the harsh realities. "When I've been on the reality side of some of these farms that struggle, it's not this beautiful picture. It's third world-ish in the US," Diego observes.
This romantic vision leads to critical misunderstandings. People mistake their love of gardening for commercial viability, confuse wanting to live on a farm with making a living from one, and underestimate the business complexity behind seemingly simple products like vegetables.
The Instagram Illusion vs. Brutal Reality
Social media presents farming through carefully curated images: golden sunrises, adorable baby animals, abundant harvests, and pristine fields. What it doesn't show are the 16-hour workdays, financial struggles hovering near poverty levels, houses neglected because all time goes to field work, and the constant physical toll of demanding labor.
Diego points out the stark contrast: "These curated photos show all the greatness... versus 16-hour workdays, dirty, bloody, sweaty messes. Houses that are a mess because we've worked so much in the field, we don't even have time to do basic chores, piles and piles of laundry."
The filtered reality omits critical information about actual farm finances. While some farms achieve impressive profitability, many operate barely above poverty level despite appearing successful online. The disconnect between public image and private struggle creates dangerous misconceptions for aspiring farmers.
Physical Demands: The Body-Breaking Reality
Modern life leaves most people physically unprepared for farming's demands. The average office worker transitioning to farm work faces a shocking reality: constant bending, lifting, and manual labor that can quickly lead to injury and burnout.
During peak season (typically June and July), many farmers work 12-16 hour days in extreme heat while maintaining physically demanding routines. This intensity creates cumulative fatigue that compounds over time, leading to chronic issues like back pain, dehydration, and heat exhaustion.
Unlike other careers where you can call in sick or take a mental health day, farming operates on natural schedules that don't accommodate human limitations. Crops have critical windows that can't be postponed, animals require daily care regardless of your condition, and weather dictates work schedules rather than personal preference.
The environmental challenges add another layer of difficulty: working in extreme temperatures, dealing with mud and rain, constant sun exposure, and the reality of being covered in dirt, manure, and plant matter daily. "The pastoral vision usually doesn't include stepping in cow poop or being covered in dust and sweating in 95-degree temperature with 95% humidity," Diego notes.
Financial Realities Behind the Dream
Many aspiring farmers make critical financial errors from the start. They calculate potential profits based only on seed costs and sales prices while completely ignoring labor costs—including paying themselves. This oversight can make seemingly profitable ventures actually lose money when true costs are considered.
The combination of inadequate startup capital and unrealistic expectations creates a dangerous financial situation. Without sufficient reserves to weather the inevitable challenges and learning curve of the first few years, farms quickly become financially unsustainable.
Additionally, newcomers often choose crops based on personal preferences rather than market demand and profitability, prioritize aesthetics over efficiency, and resist business-driven decisions due to emotional attachments to particular animals or crops.
Building a Sustainable Foundation
Success requires fundamentally shifting from a lifestyle-first to business-first approach. Before purchasing land or making major investments, aspiring farmers should create detailed business plans that include realistic labor costs, identify target markets before choosing what to produce, and have their plans reviewed by experienced business people or agricultural professionals.
Proper preparation involves working for an established farm for at least a full year to experience all four seasons and learn both growing and business operations. This apprenticeship period allows aspiring farmers to build relationships with suppliers and vendors while gaining realistic understanding of the work involved.
A lifestyle compatibility assessment proves equally important. Diego recommends talking with at least five established farmers about work-life balance, asking specifically about the worst aspects rather than the highlights. "You wanna get all the bad reality... the stuff that just comes up in the course of running a farm business."
Designing for Physical Sustainability
Smart farm design prioritizes ergonomics from day one. This means creating proper working heights, reducing lifting and carrying requirements, minimizing walking distances, and developing weather-protected workspaces for extreme conditions.
Treating your body like farm equipment requires developing preventative maintenance routines including stretching, strengthening exercises, and regular health checkups. Since farming is inherently physical work, physical preparation should be as important as learning growing techniques.
Investment in appropriate machinery and tools that reduce manual labor often pays for itself through reduced wear and tear on the farmer's body. Tools like paper pot transplanters or Jang seeders may cost more initially but can significantly reduce physical strain over time.
Building redundancy into the labor system ensures the farm can continue operating when the primary farmer needs rest or experiences injury. This might involve documenting standard operating procedures, developing networks of backup labor, or creating cooperative arrangements with neighboring farms.
Starting Smart: Gradual Growth Strategy
Rather than betting everything on farming immediately, successful transitions often involve maintaining other income while building the farm part-time. This approach provides financial stability during the learning curve and allows for gradual scaling based on proven market demand.
Testing and validation should happen early and continuously. Build capital reserves to endure the lean startup years, focus on higher-margin products with customers willing to pay premium prices, and create clear criteria for when and how to expand operations.
The military saying "slow is smooth, smooth is fast" applies perfectly to farm development. Gradual growth that reaches year 10 successfully beats rapid expansion that leads to burnout by year three.
The Harsh Truth About Farm Selection
Diego's analysis reveals that many farm failures result from people starting farms who were never suited for the work or were completely unprepared for the realities involved. The low barrier to entry allows too many people to begin without adequate preparation, skewing failure statistics.
Success requires honest self-assessment about personal tolerance for physical work, willingness to sacrifice family time and weekends, comfort with financial uncertainty, and ability to make hard business decisions over emotional preferences.
Three Action Steps for Aspiring Farmers
1. Conduct a Reality Check Before Starting
Complete a full-year apprenticeship on an established farm to experience all seasons and challenges. Interview at least five established farmers specifically about the worst aspects of farming—work-life balance, financial stress, physical demands, and family impacts. Create a detailed business plan that includes realistic labor costs and have it reviewed by experienced business people. List what you're willing to sacrifice (weekends, vacations, family time) and what you're not willing to give up to determine if farming aligns with your life priorities.
2. Prepare Your Body for Physical Demands
Develop a fitness routine focused on functional strength, flexibility, and endurance before starting farm work. Learn proper lifting techniques and invest in quality, comfortable work gear including footwear and weather protection. Design your farm layout with ergonomics in mind—proper working heights, minimal carrying distances, and weather-protected workspaces. Budget for tools and equipment that reduce manual labor, viewing them as investments in long-term physical sustainability rather than unnecessary expenses.
3. Build Business Systems for Sustainability
Start part-time while maintaining other income sources to provide financial stability during the learning period. Focus on higher-margin crops and customers willing to pay premium prices rather than competing on commodity pricing. Create detailed standard operating procedures and build networks for backup labor to ensure the farm can operate when you need rest or face health issues. Establish clear financial criteria for expansion and resist the urge to grow too quickly, prioritizing long-term sustainability over rapid growth.
Check out podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
🔊 Carrot Cashflow: A farm business podcast
🔊 Farm Small Farm Smart: A market farming podcast
🔊 Farm Small Farm Smart Daily: Daily market farming clips
🔊 The Growing Microgreens Podcast: A microgreen farming podcast
🔊 The Urban Farmer Podcast and The Urban Farmer Rewind: The 10-Year Anniversary
🔊 The Rookie Farmer Podcast: Farmer Alec Smith talks about modern market farming with growers and other farming specialists.
🔊 In Search of Soil Podcast: An in-depth soil science podcast
Catch all of our podcasts and more on YouTube!
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